The Prodigal Sun

Rhianna Covers?

Ya'll remember when Rhianna's 'Umbrella' single inspired a zillion and two covers? There were different people singing everything from techno to accoustic, from rock to reggae versions of that song. And surprisingly, despite the OVERKILL of that single, I actually liked a few of them.

Well... Rhianna is at it again. Despite Rhianna's having no outstanding singing talent, she still inspires covers of her songs. I guess it makes sense since it wouldn't be difficult to out-sing Rhianna. So you would expect marginal talent type folks to attempt it... but I just heard a version of 'Take a Bow' by Terrell Carter and its almost not fair... lol His talent is not marginal in anyway shape or form. And he blows her out of the water.

You might know Terrell if you have ever seen any of Tyler Perry's stage productions. He is usually the eye-candy villain... or the eye-candy blue collar worker dude... or some other variation of eye-candy character who can sing his azz off. He also played the preacher in 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' singin in the end. His voice is crazy. He has a phenomenal range and ridiculous control. Its surprising to me that he has not blown up on the music charts like he has in theater. He has the talent and a good fan base. Hopefully this new album will get some promotion and airplay. Look at Tamla Manne performing at the Gospel awards... she is another Tyler Perry production alum with a PHENOMENAL VOICE that is starting to get some long overdue play, so you never know. And I really love his version of the song.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts. This track and a few others are on his myspace page, along with plenty of galleries for all you ladies (and some fellas... lol) who might want to check it out. Terrell has an album coming out soon, so keep your eye out for it and support it when its released.

Incidentally, I found this song while doing research for my current role in a gospel theater production, where I play the eye-candy villain... that can sing... LOL I will post the details soon so if any of you want to come support, you can. But don't come thinking you are bout to see a body like his cause you will be sadly disappointed... lol He is like 6'5, 220-230 lbs.... I am 6'1 185.... but I am still drinking milk though... lol

And since we touched on the topic of Rhianna... can I just say that Rhianna is one of the luckiest heffas on the globe right now? If VH-1 was having a best couple of years show, Rhianna would be #1. I mean, look at Rhianna... When she first came out, she was a less cute Beyonce look-a-like with no real singing skills who pigeon-holed into reggae type songs.

NOW LOOK AT THIS HEFFA!!! She is a drop-dead gorgeous multi-platinum selling megastar fashionista... that can even make open-toed knee-high gladiator sandal boots hot. (Open-toed knee-high gladiator sandal boots doesn't even sound right... lol) But she has them on in the picture below... and you can't tell me she is not FIRE!

Rhianna's best accessory is her subtle nose job. Isn't it amazing how it went so under the radar? Her nose job and the hair cut, changed her life. Rhianna has a quality team behind her machine... from music selection, to her stylist, to her publicist... everything is coordinated with perfection.

RHIANNA BET NOT EVER FIRE NOBODY ON THAT TEAM!      Real talk.

I have a dream

It's been a long time... its not that I haven't wanted to blog about random things since this hiatus began. But after being gone for such a long time, I couldn't come back and blog about burning boiled eggs (true story) or the really smelly sandwich roll dude at Pathmark that wore my nerves out. It needed to be something worthwhile...

After a long hard-fought battle with Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama FINALLY solidified his nomination for the Democratic party to become the first black nominee for a major party in history. Its a beautiful thing. I am so excited to be alive during this moment in Black History, and American History. We are only months away from what could be the first Black President of the United States.

Martin Luther King had a dream that we as African Americans would be viewed as equals. And in my eyes, there is no better symbol of our equality than for one of us to be elected as the president of the United States in a country where we are STILL a minority, which would mean that many of the votes to elect Barrack will come from non-African American citizens. For White Americans to vote for a Black man believing that he could do just as good a job if not better than a White man, would illustrate that not only do WE believe that we are equal, but that others believe it too. I am not saying that Martin Luther King's dream would be realized completely by Barrack's presidency, but exactly 40 years after his death, a monumental step toward this dream could be taken.

I just hope that all the division created within the party by Hillary's long fight does not create bigger issues for us all. Many are saying that they will vote for Mccain if they can't vote for Hillary. And that to me is ludicrous. The majority of Barrack and Hillary's ideals and policies are the same. They just go about solving the problems differently. I can't imagine these issues disappearing based on who is on our Democratic ballot.

Ultimately, the difference between Hillary and Barrack is personality, and her being a white woman, and his being a black man. Now, don't get me wrong... I do love Hillary. Long before I knew who Barrack was, I knew that Hillary was a champion for causes that affected me. So I do love and support Hillary, BUT... I just love Barrack more. I hate to say that its just cause he is a Black man... because there are other reasons that I won't get into because I don't want this to turn into a Hillary bashing post. But, the biggest reason and difference to me between Hillary and Barrack is that the profound significance of a Black man being elected president is far greater in my eyes to that of a white woman. How we are viewed by the world, how monumental this is in our blood-stained history, and finally and most importantly to me, the potential effect this could have on the Black community. Children growing up seeing a Black man as a president has to open their eyes to their own potential.

Some might argue that the impact for a woman can be great for little girls too. And while that could be great, its not the same. Young White girls grow up with white privilege their entire lives. I don't think that they grow up thinking that they can't be president. I think they grow up thinking that it just hasn't happened yet. And even if there was a White woman president, that would not translate to Black girls. In my opinion, it would be another example of White privilege that they are not privy to. Where as a Black man as president is so far reaching in it's unlikelihood just a few short years ago, that if a Black man could become president, I believe that everyone would believe that they have a chance...

I have dream. I have a dream that Barrack Obama becomes this nations next, and first ever Black president. I have a dream that little Black boys and girls will be able to take pride in this and believe in the possibilities of their greatest and most profound dreams. I have a dream that the dreams of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were only a precursor to the dreams that we will realize in our own lifetimes. And unlike Dr. King's dream which probably seemed so distant to him and more idealistic than real, my dreams are only a few months away, and so close that I can taste them.

Who knows what the next few months may bring, but I am excited at the possibilities. And I am optimistic about the outcome. Ya'll just make sure that you are registered and get out there and Barrack the vote when the time comes.

Notorious B.I.G. movie

They have announced the cast of the new Biggie Smalls movie... most of the roles make sense...

This dude, Jamal 'Gravy' Woolard, is big, Black, and a rapper. That makes sense.

Anthony Mackie... I can see him playing Tupac. I actually think he is the best option for this role... and he lives here in Harlem and works out at my gym. Congrats to him! Yaaaaye Anthony!

Derek Luke as Diddy... ok, he can pull it off I think. Everyone doesn't have to be a look a like to pull off a real life role... look at Angela Bassett in 'What's love got to do with it'...

But despite there not needing to be an exact look alike to pull off a role... some choices are kinda ridiculous. Yes, Angela is a phenomenal actress... but playing Voletta Wallace? Huh? That is laughable. That is some ol' "I am an executive producer of this project and I see myself as Angela Bassett' type bullshyt. Voletta Wallace is the ONLY person who sees herself as Angela Bassett. I see her more as a Loretta Devine, Alfre woodard, or Phyllis Stickney (the therapist from 'The Inkwell' that braided Lorenz Tate's hair)...

But I guess I can't hate. If I had a movie based on me, I would choose some young really good looking established actor too... But he would actually have to resemble me at least a little bit. Angela Bassett and Voletta Wallace? That is just some wishful thinking...

Brokeness helping me discover my inner azzhole

Being a struggling actor/entrepreneur is not easy. Unlike with a corporate job, where you may be broke til next Thursday, you could be broke all month if no work comes in. So in an effort to be more fiscally responsible, I have had to pull back on a few things that some might think of as luxuries...

Some of them are easier to give up than others... Last month, I cut off my premium channels package. Basically, I had all the pay tv channels. That was tough because I tend to watch a lot of movies, but not a lot of network tv... but I dealt with it. I discovered a new love for the Sci Fi channel and TV-1, so I am good.

This month... I gave up the hardest of all my 'luxuries'... my laundry service. ARRRRRRGGGH!!! I know of ya'll are like, 'nigga, please!' But for real... I haven't washed my own laundry in the last two years. I like dropping it off dirty and coming back to pick up nice neatly folded downy fresh clothes. My whites are super white, my colors are popping... everything is soft and smells like a summer breeze. When I do it... I often fukk something up... whites come out pink or blue... or whites are clean smelling but still dirty looking... my darks fade... shirts shrink... I am just not good at it.

But today, I actually lugged my 6 loads of laundry down 6 flights of steps to the complex laundromat. But I didn't know that the machine to put money on the card did not accept credit or debit cards, only cash. So I looked around and saw 5 triple load machines and 3 regular ones all empty. There was only one African lady in there filling her first machine. If I ran to the cornerstore atm, I could be back before anyone else came and used up all the machines.

So I run to the store and when I come back, the laundromat was empty but there were only two little machines left. I was upset, but I was even more angry because NONE of the machines were running. That African heffer took and put her clothes into all the open machines and then left to get money, detergent and a snack.

I just squeezed 3 loads into the remaining two washers but I was SOOOOO heated. She was gone for a good 15-20 minutes. My clothes could have been halfway done. When she walked in, I am sure she could feel the heat searing from my eyes. But she ignored me and finally started her machines.

As luck would have it... MY CLOTHES FINISHED FIRST... *evil sinister laugh*... First I loaded the rest of my dirty clothes in the two washers... then I took my 3 loads of wet clean clothes and filled up ALL 5 dryers... lol When her clothes finished, she walks over, sees that I have taken ALL of the dryers and looks at me, and I igged her laser beam looks, and she had to sit there watching my clothes dry for half hour just like I had to watch her clothes sitting in the washing machines.

Then... my second load of clothes in the washers finished before my clothes in the dryers... so technically, I could have made her wait another half hour by filling up all the machines again... but instead, being the bleeding heart that I can be, I decided to put all my remaining clothes in two dryers and to give her three of them... I can be trifling and petty, but I am not a total azzhole.

I figured... I got her back, it felt good... but didn't want to attract any unnecessary negative karma to myself, giving her the three dryers was a good deed and balanced my initial triflingness... lol (Well, that is what I have convinced myself of anyway.)

Not including detergents, I spent $7.50 on laundry that would have cost me nearly $40 at the service. But looking at my dingy looking whites after I did my own laundry for the first time in two years... I have to say that the minute my financial situation stabilizes, that is the first 'luxury' that comes back...

Random Thoughts...

The Janet Jackson spoofs on MTV shows are giggle-worthy... If you haven't seen them... check them here. If you don't watch the shows, its kinda corny... but if you do watch the shows... its actually kinda funny... lol

Other randomness...

Ruby Dee not winning the oscar... boo. I would write this long diatribe about earning it from all the years of work, and such... but... I didn't actually see the movie with her and Denzel. (Yes, I know its blasphemy for a young black man not to be into gangster movies, especially featuring a black man as the leader... but... oh well...) I wanted her to win badly. Other than that... I really do love that little girl who sang for that choir... Jah-something somebody... I remember her from Apollo... she is so talented.

Did ya'll watch "Raisin in the Sun"... I really dug it... everyone did such a good job. I love Phylicia Rashad (She reminds me of my mom...) I have seen "Raisin in the Sun" a few times and read it... and as long as the acting is even just decent, you can't go wrong. But... as good as the movie was... Don't you think it would have been PHENOMENAL with someone else playing Puffy's role? Like... yeah, for Puffy, he did waaaay more than I expected, but he is no Don Cheadle, who I could see acting the hell outta that role, especially with such a strong cast... Anyway, it was still good in my opinion. What did you guys think?

Ummm... did ya'll see Ne-yo's mugshot for speeding and reckless driving... ok... I said he looked like a gremlin and no one agreed. Now look at him... he is the brown twin of the grinch who stole christmas. Have we never seen Neyo without a hat? I coulda sworn I saw him with just a haircut in a video or something... either he is balding rapidly, or he has been rockin' a low fade weave... lol

In other news... I really dig Nicole Schwhatsherface from Pussycat Dolls... she went off and tried to make a solo career, and I kinda dug the leaked singles I heard, but apparently nobody else did... none of them moved. So... guess this album cover won't see the light of day as it was not only pushed back over and over, it was just shelved.  And now she has come crawling back to PCD with her tail between her legs? I guess a 6th of a check is better than NO check at all... lol

New Care Package Content - Bulletproof Vests

What the hell is wrong with kids these days? Why are kids going to schools with guns and trying to kill everyone? What happened to the good old days when people would just take a bottle of pills or slit their OWN wrists, die peacefully... and give their roommate the gift of straight A's for the semester?

I thought the point of going to college was to stay out of harm's way and avoid being shot in the streets. These days, its safer in the hood than a college classroom. Hell, if you were from the streets, being in the streets was actually pretty safe. On occasion you might be at risk of a stray bullet, but for the most part, no guns were aimed at you if you stayed out of certain crowds and respected the streets. But now, these crazy azz mofuggas are just going into classrooms with semi automatic weapons and just taking complete strangers out.

That is some fukked up selfish shyt. Now, these kids want to take everyone else out with them. Long gone are the days when these suicidal kids would just kill themselves just to make people sorry when they are gone... they are killing people to make them sorry NOW.

I mean, its sad that people want to die. But if you feel that you have to kill yourself... WHY MUST YOU TRY TO TAKE ME WITH YOU? Why we all gotta die because YOUR life sucks?!?

Fukk metal detectors... there need to be psychological evaluations to get through the doors of academia... because this stuff is CRAZY.

I am glad that I finished my graduate degrees and I am done with school. But if I were to ever decide to take a course, I would definitely stand out. Not because I am the only black person in the class... it would be because I am the only one walking around campus openly wearing a bulletproof vest. I don't trust any of them crazy azz people...

Happy February 14th

Happy Pagan holiday that makes people in relationships do what they should be doing daily, and those not in relationships feel like losers... lol

Ok... maybe I am bitter... lol I just think that Valentines day is stupid, whether I am in or outside of a relationship. If I am in a relationship, I have to spend money on stupid shyt just for that day, when really, I am not the type person that doesn't show my affection on the regular. So feeling forced to do it on this particular day is stupid to me.

Then when I am not in a relationship, people ask you incessantly what you are doing for Valentine's day and if you tell them nothing, they look at you like a puppy with a broken leg... like... oh you poor loser, you dont have anyone you can call? Not even on the day of Love?

When the fact is, there are plenty of people I can call... But that leads to my other issue. You can't call up random people to spend Valentines day with because spending this particular day with someone implies that you are digging this person in a special way. And I just dont want to send any false signals to folks I am not feeling like that.

If Christmas is the time when most the suicides occur... I wonder how Valentine's Day ranks on the suicide frequency scale... Yes, its a little humorous, but for real... the same reasons someone would kill themselves at Christmas time would be the same reasons to do it for Valentines Day... loneliness, lack of special people to share it with... all the same things that would depress someone for being alone on xmas, work for Valentines day too...

I am going to have to look into that.

Anyway, enjoy your February 14th, not because of false love hoopla, but because its the 14th day of Black History Month... and four days after the celebration of my birthday! (Yaaaye ME!)

Triflin' azz ungrateful people

Ok... I have to vent... so this is going to be a long post... let me apologize now. Ok.. with that said... here we go.

My house has come to be known as the halfway-house because I had someone living with me 8 out of my first 10 months in NY, between my old roommate in CT (3 months), and my homeboy from Chicago who moved here to try to go to grad school(5 months), neither of which paid any rent. I am not bitter about them. My old roommate has helped me in a zillion ways, and my homeboy from Chicago later did kick in some dough to help pay some of the bills he created after I cussed him out a little. I am cool as hell with them and there is no bad energy associated with them at all.

Now, after the initial drama with Chicago homeboy, I was determined to never have any long term boarders in my crib anymore... I just couldn't take the unnecessary drama. It wore me out.

So my homegirl from undergrad, with whom I have been friends for over a decade, was trying to move back up to NY from Miami. She told me her hard luck story about staying with her sister whom she doesn't get along with, sleeping on the floor, and dealing with a 2 hour commute each way to work...

Yep... you guessed it... MY STUPID BLEEDING HEART AZZ CAVES IN! And I let her stay with me thinking that it would only be for a month or so...

Two months later... (yes two months later with no rent, and not any closer to saving her money) I am planning a big bday party for my best friend at my apartment. I tell her a week in advance that we will need to put all her stuff under my bed and in closets because I will need to use my guest room, which is set up like a sitting room with a futon couch and plenty of open space, as an overflow space for the party. I know my parties, and I know that I would not be able to contain all of my party guests in my living room and dining room. While this apartment is big for one person in NY, its still only a two bedroom.

She gets an attitude and is like... 'I dont know man.' Huh? What is there not to know? It's my apartment, and I am going to need the space, so for that evening, we need to put your stuff up. So people can come chill in here. But I didnt say it like that... I told her she was welcome to stay for the party, or go somewhere, but I need the space. And she is like, what about when I want to go to bed? I am just going to kick folks out of here and go to bed. Ummm... no. No you aren't. I say when my party is over. Again... its my apartment. We don't beef, I just didnt feel like going back and forth or debating. I just repeated that the party was a week away and we need to put her stuff up, and call it a day.

During the next week, she gets sick. Like REALLY REALLY sick. She is calling in to work and everything. I am going to the store and getting her chicken soup and Theraflu, and waking her up to take that stuff every four hours. I am really looking out for her, cause she is my girl, right?

So Saturday morning, the day of the party, and she is feeling a little better but still sick. I am cleaning all of the apartment preparing for the party. She is in my guestroom knocked out, and go in to wake her up. I told her that today was the day of the party and that we need to pack up her stuff to put away, and that I arranged for her to chill at my homeboy's crib while the party was going on, BECAUSE I KNEW that she didn't bother to check to find some place to go.

All hell breaks loose. She is acting like I am throwing her out on the streets and she is sick and that I am so foul. And I am like... first of all, I am just putting her stuff out of sight so it doesnt get damaged, and I have a place for her to go which is literally two buildings over from mine. AND I told her about this shyt LAST WEEK! Why the fukk did you ignore what I told you a week ago? I TOLD YOU WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO! WHY DID YOU IGNORE IT LIKE YOU WERE GONNA DO WHAT YOU WANTED ANYWAY?

Yes, I realize and understand that you are sick, and that you don't know my homeboy and dont want to chill at his house but I am having a party for my best friend, and YOU are not him. He takes priority homey. And I am NOT cancelling his party because YOU are sick. And I am NOT cramping 200 people into those two rooms. (literally at one point there were over 200 people in my apartment...)

Finally I got tired of arguing and said, THIS IS WHY I DONT HAVE A ROOMMATE! I dont have to debate this shyt. This is my apartment, and THIS is what is going to happen in MY apartment where I PAY RENT. So she opted to call her cousin to come get her, and she packed up all her stuff and moved out that night.

Do you know that when she left, she didn't say goodbye, OR even thank you? She stayed her azz in my house TWO MONTHS and didn't speak when she left. I had to hit her up for my keys via blackberry messenger, and she sent them via mail in a thank you card that just said, 'thanks for everything' with the keys in it. And she subsequently removed me from her blackberry contacts.

Am I crazy? Cause I feel like this not only some ungrateful azz bullshyt, but kind of on the 'Fukk you nigga' tip. The crazy thing to me is that she doesn't have very many people in her life that she can count on like me. For example, at her birthday event, there were a ton of people there... the bill comes up short, and SHE and I... the two BROKEST NIGGAS THERE, have to come up with the missing dough and tip. Mind you, these other people are PAID!!! (there were a couple 7 figure niggas in attendance) and the birthday girl, and a struggling actor/web designer are putting in the extra dough. (I didn't even DRINK because I KNEW I didn't have the dough, but I couldn't let me girl go out like that cause she was my friend, right?) She can't even stay at these other mothafuggas houses overnight much less two months, but I bet they are still in her blackberry... lol If they let her crash and told her that they needed her to clear out for a night, she would have done it without thinking twice. But because I am not a celeb or have mad dough, my friendship is not that deep.

I am venting now, so clearly, it got to me... I thought we were tight. And I didn't think that this would end our friendship. But on the flip side, its all good. If she is capable of this, she is not the type of friend I need. I do have plenty of wonderful friends. I am blessed. Its unfortunate that she is no longer one of them. And even more unfortunate that she lost a friend like me, because as I experience shyt like this... I realize more and more that sincere people like me are rare.

Now that I have vented about this situation, I am officially over it. I hold no ill will towards this girl. I wish her well. But she can go kick rocks.

Oh... and from now on... anyone staying with me more than a week... IS PAYING RENT!!! (Fukk what you heard!) lol

New Favorite Heartbreak song

I don't know why, but I LOVE sappy heartbreak songs like Bonnie Rait's 'I can't make you love me'.There is something real and true in a heartbreak song that is written and performed well, especially on an acoustic instrument.  Its the poetry of the lyrics. Its the sad tones and chords of the music. Its the inflections in the voices. It's the heartfelt sentiments that everyone whose ever had a broken heart can relate to. Its all of those things.

Well, I just bought a new cd of an artist named Sara Bareilles. She is the girl who sings, 'Not gonna write you a love song' from that ipod commercial. I dug that song (my musical tastes are all over the place... I know,  lol) I was expecting some upbeat light rock type songs, maybe some random ballads... I wasn't disappointed as there are a few light rock songs that I really dig on the cd. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear this song called 'Gravity'. I absolutely love this song. Its simple... an acoustic piano, and some light wind instruments. Her ability to wail out a song like 'Love song' and then sing this song with such a light airy tone demonstrates her talent.

I absolutely love the lyrics too. I would love this just as much if I read it in a poetry book...
Check them out below:

Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.

You hold me without touch.
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain.

CHORUS
Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.
When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.

CHORUS
Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on the ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down

The true test however... can she perform live? And the answer is yes... check it out below. She sings it even better live... check it out.

I love this song even more live... She is really talented... if you haven't checked her out, you should do so. She is not just an ipod commercial phenom, she is the real deal.

Brandy's no criminal

As some of you may know, charges  were recently dropped against Brandy in that big accident she had  in which a woman unfortunately lost her life.  Initially, the LAPD were looking at pressing criminal charges  but in my eyes there were no grounds for any criminal precedings.  She was not speeding and she was not under the influence of any drugs or controlled substances. She simply realized too late that traffic had come to a complete stop ahead of her, and hit the car in front of her, that resulted in a chain reaction of cars that led to the fatal incident. In my eyes, this was just another  case of... celebrities get away with everything under the sun... UNLESS YOU ARE A BLACK CELEBRITY!!!! (Cause Black celebrities are ALWAYS the ones that not only pay for their crimes but the judges and the public are both EXTRA hard on. If any celeb is going to be the 'example' that the law doesn't go easy on celebs, they are usually BLACK!)

Now if she were drunk or speeding, I would have felt sorry for her, but I would feel like she would need to pay the piper nonetheless. Wreckless drivin, wreckless endangerment or vehicular manslaughter or anything that leads to a loss of life is no joke. But being a bad driver is not a criminal offense. So I am glad that they have finally dropped the whole entire incident.

On the flip side, the woman's family is still suing Brandy in civil court. And while I don't believe Brandy is a criminal, she did start an accident that resulted in someone's death. If that were my mother, I would be suing Brandy too. If I can sue someone because I got whiplash in an accident, you better believe I am going to sue if someone dies. It's unfortunate that, because she has money, the suit will be for a lot more than it would if she were a regular joe, but thats is life.

I am a great big Brandy fan. She is no power ballad singer like a Jennifer Hudson, or a strong singer-performer like Beyonce, but there is just something about Brandy and her music that I have always loved. So I am glad to see that she will not be taking any mug shots any time soon. Now if she can only keep her triflin brother from still trying to pimp his dick and that stupid skin flick with Kim Kardashian anymore, all will be right with the world again.